The supporting character's harem is very normal

"Heh?!" Lafien looked at Lilith in confusion. "You mean…"

Lilith sighed. "Alright, alright. Stop asking so many questions. Just follow me and do as I say."

"But… what about Lathel?" Lafien asked hesitantly.

"Oh, come on. He's happy right now. Don't go bothering him."

Lafien froze upon hearing that. Her head lowered, a shadow of sadness crossing her face as she murmured softly, "I see… So I'm just a nuisance to him, huh?"

Lilith smacked her forehead.

One careless sentence, and now Lafien looked like she was about to lose something incredibly important.

Ever since returning from the Enforcement Division's Headquarters, Lafien had become far more sensitive—especially when it came to Lathel.

She was no longer the arrogant girl who always believed she was right.

Instead, she had become softer, gentler… but also more timid.

Like a Sensitive Plant, shrinking away at the slightest touch.

"Ah! That's not what I meant!" Lilith quickly corrected herself. "What I meant is… he's meeting someone important right now. But we need to focus on tracking Ikarys."

"If we can make Ikarys suffer a fate worse than death, Lathel will definitely be happy. And when that happens, he won't be mad at you anymore—he'll cherish you."

Lafien gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at Lilith. "You mean it?"

"Of course! Think about it—Ikarys is Lathel's enemy. If we do this, we're helping him." Lilith explained smoothly. "Lathel will see how useful you are. He'll want to keep you by his side."

Hearing that, Lafien nodded firmly. It all made perfect sense.

"Uhm! You're right, Teacher Lilith. Let's go—we need to track him."

Seeing Lafien snap out of her gloomy mood, Lilith exhaled in relief.

But inwardly, she chuckled to herself.

'Lathel, this is all I can do for you. Ah… I really am such a good teacher. Helping my disciple satisfy his needs while setting him up with more women.

Hehehehehe…'

…

On the watchtower, Lathel lay on Catheryne's soft thighs, gazing at the distant flames that were gradually dying down.

Meanwhile, Catheryne looked down at him, her hand gently stroking his hair.

However, perhaps because her twin peaks were too large when she leaned forward, she couldn't see his face.

But that didn't bother her.

On the contrary, she felt incredibly happy.

After all, this was a source of pride for women—and for her as well.

Would any man refuse such softness?

Of course not.

Lathel, on the other hand, was conflicted.

He sighed, unsure how to face this situation.

After all, their relationship had been that of mother and son in his past life.

But… there was no blood relation between them.

"Lathel… do you think I'm dirty?"

Catheryne's sudden question caught him off guard.

Her hand, which had been gently stroking his hair, trembled slightly.

Lathel shook his head. "No, Mom… actually… I kind of like you, too."

Catheryne's heart skipped a beat.

Her face flushed red, her body trembled slightly, and her watery eyes glistened as if she was about to cry.

At this moment, she no longer carried the imposing aura she always did.

She was no longer the Red Queen, the terrifying ruler feared by all the Nobles of the Karol Empire.

No longer the cold-blooded monarch who had slaughtered the entire royal family and countless aristocrats just to claim the imperial throne.

Right now—she was simply a woman who had just fallen in love.

Her emotions were so chaotic that she didn't even know where to start sorting them out.

A deep shyness and hesitation were written all over Catheryne's face, yet mixed within was a thrill—a quiet satisfaction upon hearing that Lathel also harbored feelings for her.

She bit her red lips tightly, trying to suppress her emotions. After a long pause, she finally gathered her thoughts and spoke, "Lathel… I… I am your mother, but I…"

"I already know."

Lathel interrupted her before she could finish.

Yet, instead of feeling offended, Catheryne felt a strange warmth spreading inside her.

Just those few words…

They reassured her that Lathel didn't care about their so-called status.

"I just want to ask you one thing…" Lathel suddenly continued. "You are Ryne, aren't you?"

Catheryne gently nodded. "I'm sorry for deceiving you."

Lathel let out a deep sigh.

In his past life, the greatest regret of his existence had been Catheryne—his mother.

He had always known she wasn't his biological mother.

But that had never mattered—he had always treated her as his real mother.

Yet, she had always tried to keep her distance from him.

There was a great, undeniable distance between them.

And within that distance, there had always been an invisible thread that tied them together.

Lathel had never been able to understand what that was.

He had assumed it was simply guilt—that he was why Catheryne had never found true love in his past life.

But when he died…

He had realized something else.

Catheryne had never allowed any man into her heart.

She had never accepted any " protagonists " who had tried to pursue her.

And when he saw her crying at his coffin, mourning as if she had lost her entire world—

He finally understood.

What was between them was never just mother and son.

"Lathel…" Catheryne's voice trembled. "I… I may be your mother, but I truly love you."

"Not as a mother loves her child… but as a woman loves a man."

"I realized that long ago… that's why I kept trying to stay away from you."

"However, even after staying away from you, that feeling never faded. On the contrary, it only became clearer and stronger."

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I am a filthy woman… I must disgust you, don't I?"

Catheryne's voice trembled.

She sounded like a child who had made a terrible mistake—helplessly awaiting punishment from an unforgiving parent.

Lathel slowly sat up.

His hands gently grasped Catheryne's shoulders as he looked straight into her teary, glistening eyes.

She was beautiful.

So beautiful that it made it hard for him to breathe.

In his past life, Catheryne had always been breathtaking.

But in this life—with the influence of magic and divine elixirs—she was even more mesmerizing.

Beyond her beauty, she carried the regal presence of a queen, the kind that made men want to kneel at her feet, willing to become her obedient hounds.

Yet now—

The fearsome Red Queen, the woman whose name made entire nations tremble—was crying.

Crying because she was afraid that he would reject her feelings.

At this moment, she was fragile, vulnerable, and different from the powerful ruler he had always known.

Lathel let out a deep sigh and spoke softly.

"Mom, I don't blame you. I don't think of you that way at all. It's just… I need time to figure out my own feelings for you."

"Is what I feel really love? Or is it just…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Catheryne already knew what he was about to say.

After all—this was not something easy to accept.

However—

Instead of despair, excitement surged within her heart.

'Lathel doesn't hate me!'

'He said he needs time to think. That means I still have a chance!'

'Yes—this means he wants to accept me. He already admitted that he likes me. If he's thinking it over, then it means he's trying to find a way to accept his feelings for me.'

'Lathel… this time, things will not be like in our past life.

I will never let you leave me again.'

Lathel watched Catheryne's face flush red, her mature beauty and alluring presence making it incredibly difficult for him to suppress his emotions.

Lathel hurriedly turned his head away and spoke softly, "Alright, I'll think carefully about it."

Suddenly, Catheryne grabbed his hand and pulled him into her embrace.

"Let's go."

"Mom, how am I supposed to walk like this?"

Lathel felt like crying.

The pressure was too much…

And by pressure, he meant the overwhelming force from those two mountains pressing against him, making breathing hard.

"Hm… I'm your mother. Holding you like this is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

Lathel: "…"

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

What Catheryne said was both right and wrong at the same time.

Before he could even argue, she had already dragged him away.

All he could do was sigh inwardly, feeling like the space on his bed was about to shrink even more.

—

After resting for a day, Lumiana looked for them again the next morning.

After all, there were still a few people within the Church who remained loyal to her.

With Catheryne's assistance, stabilizing the Church was surprisingly easy.

Previously, Lathel had asked Lilith to return to Karol to find Catheryne for help because he knew that Ikarys must have been plotting something dangerous.

But even then—

He never would have guessed that a mere Level 40 Ikarys would dare to unite multiple kingdoms and Ancient Clans to overthrow the Church.

Luckily, Rakka had stepped in.

Otherwise, by now, he would have been reduced to ashes under the fire of those magic cannons.

However, Catheryne later revealed that she had secretly followed him out of concern for his safety.

Of course, she hadn't used a magic warship—

That would have made it too easy for Lumiana to detect her.

Instead—

She had used magic to fly all the way here.

However, Catheryne's speed was truly astonishing.

Just one day, she had crossed 5,000 miles to reach this place.

Even an airplane wouldn't be able to move that fast.

…

Now, in the guest hall, only Lathel, Lumiana, and Catheryne were present.

Rakka found the whole affair too boring, so he chose not to participate.

Instead, he stayed in his room, continuing his research on the world's laws.

Meanwhile, Lafien and Lilith were tracking Ikarys and following Lathel's orders.

Lathel sat between the two women, feeling slightly… uneasy.

At this moment, Lumiana had regained her youthful appearance.

She no longer looked old and frail like before.

Catheryne stared at Lumiana, frowning.

Her voice was low and cold as she spoke:

"I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation."

"If not… I will turn your Church into ashes."

Her golden-red eyes flickered with a terrifying pressure.

"Lumiana, you know my words are not empty threats."

"If I say I will do it, then I will."